The remix is a much more danceable, club-friendly version of MJ’s song, with Bieber’s vocals added to the first verse and the chorus.

Since the song leaked, most versions of it have disappeared from YouTube, replaced with a note saying the video was removed “due to a copyright claim by SME (Sony Music Entertainment),” which administers Jackson’s catalogue.

Bieber hasn’t confirmed the legitimacy of the song, but did tweet several vague references to his pop idol.

“Excited for what is to come. MJ set the bar. Not only for music but for being an entertainer and how u treat the fans. Wish he was here ...” Bieber tweeted the day before the song leaked.

A day after the remix surfaced, he tweeted a picture showing himself performing to a packed crowd, with a photo of Jackson doing the same thing.

“He set the bar,” Bieber tweeted, adding that MJ was “the greatest of all time.”

Bieber was 15 and in the infancy of his career when Jackson died in June 2009. A couple weeks after his death, when Bieber could still stand on the street without being ambushed by teen girls, he performed a Jackson tribute with a street performer. He’s often talked about following in the footsteps of Jackson, his idol.

Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, a writer and producer who worked with both Jackson and Bieber, has said the pair would have been a perfect match for collaboration.

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